The Saga of Fishkit
by Ruthie of the Wildcats
Summary: In the fifth book, when Snowkit is carried off by the hawk, Dappletail reveals that she too lost a deaf kit. But what happened to this kit? Who was he? Follow the life of Fishkit as he runs away from ThunderClan, joins a group of rogues, and untimately fu
1. Chapter 1

1The ground shook like thunder before a storm, heralding the approach of a monster. An unnatural wind hissed through the trees' branches. The sound fell on literal deaf ears. A young, snow-white tomcat sat calmly beside the Thunderpath, calmly watching the shiny-pelted creature roar past. He blinked his sky-blue eyes. It was those same eyes that had intimidated many cats into fleeing in terror.

Fishkit was known all around the forest for being a watcher. He never said a word. He never replied to anything any cat said. He just watched. It was eerie, almost disquieting. Very few of the rogue cat's foes knew his deepest and darkest secret.

Fishkit was deaf.

Like most white-furred, blue-eyed cats, Fishkit was deaf. He never said a word because he had never heard a word. He never replied because he never heard the question. But while his hearing had been taken away from him, the young cat's other senses were super-strong. He could scent prey when it was upwind. He could tell which cat was approaching him by the vibrations of their pawsteps. He could see farther than most of his friends.

Fishkit sat stone-still as he felt the earth shake, though not as fiercely as it did at the coming of a monster. The rhythm was familiar. Finally, he turned to see the startled face of the cat who had been trying to sneak up on him. The big tabby winked. "Hello, Fishkit," the tom meowed aloud, at the same time making a few motions with his paws and tail. Fishkit nodded a greeting.

"Hello Rust," Fishkit signed, streaking his tail down his shoulder to imitate the stripes of Rust's fur. Rust nodded and sat beside the young tom. "Thinking," Fishkit told him, patting his own head with a paw. Rust nodded again.

"ThunderClan thoughts?" Rust asked. Fishkit stiffened at the mention of his old Clan. Rust leaned back. Fishkit was a lot smaller, but the white tom had powers that made Rust a little nervous.

"Yes." Fishkit tapped the ground once. "ThunderClan thoughts."

Rust's tail made a nervous twitch. "Want me to leave?" he asked. After a few moments, Fishkit made the yes-sign again. Rust got up and backed away.

Fishkit sighed, alone in his mind. _Rust has been my brother ever since I joined with his group of rogues. He's the only one who really tried to talk with me aside from... Bluefur... _

---F î " t z î ---

Tigerpaw's face bore a sneer. His mouth moved. _What is he saying?_ Fishkit wondered, _Is... Is he being mean to me? Ohh... where's Bluefur?_

Fishkit opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out. Only a soft, squeaking mew. "What's th' matter?" Tigerpaw sneered. "Can't take a joke, Fishkit? Huh?"

"Heh!" laughed Darkkit. "Yeah. Too stupid?" He and Tigerpaw extended a claw, hooking them together.

"You guys!" mewed Lionkit. "Leave him alone! He's not stupid! Remember? Rosetail the medicine cat said it herself: he's deaf. If you guys don't stop it, I'm gonna tell Bluefur!"

Tigerpaw, Lionkit, and Darkkit all started arguing. Fishkit could tell by the looks on their faces that Lionkit was defending him, while Tigerpaw and Darkkit were trying to defend themselves. He sighed. He wondered where Bluefur was. Bluefur had been a young queen who had lost her kits to a badger or a fox a few moons ago. She was Clan deputy now. He sniffed the air, smelling that familiar, warm scent. Fishkit turned to see Bluefur padding over.

"Bluefur! Bluefur!" Lionkit mewed, running over to tattle. "Tigerpaw 'n' Darkkit were makin' fun of Fishkit again!"

Bluefur sighed. "Again?" she whispered. "Look you two, leave poor Fishkit alone. You shouldn't be making fun of him. It's a bad thing for good little kits like you to be doing."

"But _Bluefur_!" Darkkit whined. "It's not bad to do it, 'cause Fishkit can't hear what we're saying!"

"Yeah!" Tigerpaw added. "So how does he know we're saying bad stuff about him? We could be telling him he's got the prettiest fur in the whole Clan!"

"But you aren't!" Lionkit shot back. "You're saying he's stupid. Bluefur, why don't we tell Fallenstar what they was doing?"

Bluefur's tail gave an irritated jerk. "Don't bother. It's not like she'd really listen, is it? She's getting so..." Her voice trailed off.

"What do you mean?" Lionkit asked. Bluefur shook her head.

"I shouldn't be talking like this," she muttered, "It makes me sound like I want her to die. No." Bluefur shook her pelt out. She turned to Fishkit. "Fishkit," she signed, pointing to the tom. "Come." She made a walking motion with her front paws. "With." Her long tail tapped Fishkit's flank, then her own. "Bluefur." She ran a paw down her muzzle, Fishkit's chosen sign for her.

Fishkit nodded and stepped up beside her. Lionkit came up. "Can I come too?" he asked hopefully. Bluefur shook her head.

"I'm sorry, Lionkit. You're still a kit, even though you'll be an apprentice in a mere pawful of moons. You're too young. Fallenstar would have my tail if I took you with me."

"So how come you're takin' Fishkit?" Lionkit mewed indignantly. "He's a kit too!"

"Because no cat really cares where Fishkit goes, so long as he's with me."

"You're leavin' ThunderClan territory, then?" Tigerpaw asked. "Can I come too? Please?"

"Ask your mentor," Bluefur replied. "Although, personally, after the way you've been acting, I doubt they'll say yes."

Tigerpaw narrowed his amber eyes. He slunk away from the happy pair. Fishkit butted Bluefur's shoulder in a gesture of happiness. Bluefur wasn't his mentor (Fishkit was only three moons old), but she took such care of him, she might as well have been. Bluefur gave the sulky Lionkit a comforting lick on the head before motioning for Fishkit to follow her.

They walked to Stepping Stones, the border between ThunderClan and RiverClan territory. Bluefur sighed and sat down. Fishkit saw her mouth moving, but not her paws or her tail. _She needs to talk to someone who won't judge her,_ Fishkit thought. _And she's come to the right cat. I can't hear a word!_ Bluefur sometimes needed to talk, but not really be listened to. She turned to Fishkit for this.

"It's Fallenstar," she meowed softly. "She's a great and noble leader, but she's starting to get senile. I feel like I can't talk to her any longer. I don't know what to do." Bluefur sighed. "It's no secret, either. Every cat in the Clan knows that Fallenstar's not as sharp as she once was. I want to be leader, Fishkit, but not so badly. I think I could do a better job of it, but I don't want to go against StarClan's choice of Fallenstar. They'll call her to join them when she's ready, I know, and choose me to take her place when that time comes."

Fishkit listened silently. He could smell the scent of Bluefur's hopelessness and confusion, and drew close to her, purring comfortingly. Bluefur nuzzled him. "Fishkit... I think there's something I should say out loud." She cast a swift glance around her, looking for any other cats. "It's been bothering me since it happened. Mistykit and Stonekit are alive. They're... they're in RiverClan." Shudders passed down her spine. Fishkit pulled even closer. "I gave them away to their RiverClan father, Oakheart...And...that means I've disobeyed the warrior code by taking a mate from another Clan...I don't deserve to be Clan leader..."

Fishkit looked up into Bluefur's ice-hued eyes. He could see great sadness in them. He licked her flank soothingly. Bluefur purred, the deep vibrations filling Fishkit's world with a happy hum. It was the sound of the nursery, the sound queens made to their sleepy kits. It was the sound of nature, the sound of gathering thunder. It was the only sound Fishkit heard, and he treasured it above everything.

Bluefur rose to her paws. "Fishkit," she motioned. "Come home with me. It's late."

Fishkit nodded and got up. He trotted after Bluefur. The deputy licked his ears fondly and padded towards ThunderClan's camp. Fishkit's mother, Dappletail, greeted them at the camp entrance. "Tigerpaw said you were out," she meowed. "I know how you two are. Thank you for keeping a good eye on my son, Bluefur."

Bluefur nodded. "I suppose I just need to be near kits after losing my own..." her voice trailed off. Dappletail gave her a consoling nuzzle.

"That's one of the hardest parts about being a queen, Bluefur," she mewed. "Losing your kits. Don't worry. I'm sure you'll have more some day."

Only Fishkit saw the uneasy glint in the young deputy's eyes. He had a feeling that whatever Bluefur had been telling him had been referred to by his mother. He pushed his muzzle into Bluefur's bluish pelt and stepped up beside his mother. Dappletail guided Fishkit towards the nursery, giving Bluefur a sympathetic glance before she stepped into the dark den.

"Hi Fishkit!" Lionkit mewed, waving his tail to catch the other kit's attention. Fishkit returned the gesture and curled up beside his brother. Redkit, a mottled tortoiseshell tom-kit with a bushy red tail, waved his red-furred appendage as well. Fishkit nuzzled his other brother. Dappletail curled her body around her three kits.

"Good night, my beloveds," she murmured, nosing them in turn. "May StarClan watch over you all as you dream."

Fishkit, however, did not plan on dreaming in the nursery tonight. He was tired of Tigerpaw and Darkkit teasing him. Even though Redkit meant well, sometimes he would try to side with Tigerpaw in order to look "cool." It hurt him. It hurt a lot. Fishkit knew Bluefur would be unconsolable if he left, but he had to.

_ThunderClan is not where I belong,_ Fishkit thought as he stared up through the gaps of the nursery ceiling. _I can't stay here. I'll find another Clan to join._

The whole night, Fishkit pushed up close against Redkit. The dappled he-kit grumbled for Fishkit to move over repeatedly in his sleep. Fishkit waited until Redkit's breathing had slowed to the point where he was in a deep sleep, then slid away silently. Redkit gave a muffled mew of content and stretched out until he filled the spot Fishkit had occupied as well as his own spot. Fishkit nodded. That had worked exactly how he had planned it. The deaf tomcat turned and crept from the nursery.

Even when he was fully grown, Fishkit never could figure out just how he had escaped the notice of all the cats in the camp that night. There had been no shortage of able-bodied warriors and apprentices who would have no trouble stopping a wayward kit from leaving the camp. Fishkit watched as Whitestorm dragged himself out of the warriors den to join a moonhigh patrol. He hung back in the shadow of the nursery, quivering with fear. Whitestorm was a young warrior with keen senses and sharp yellow eyes. If he didn't _see_ Fishkit, he would surely _smell_ him.

Whitestorm, however, was not really paying attention. The white-furred warrior opened his jaws in a huge yawn and shook scraps of moss from his pelt. Fishkit huddled deep into the shadows. Whitestorm poked his head into the apprentices den and called for his apprentice Goldenpaw. Goldenpaw staggered outside sleepily and followed Whitestorm to where a group of a couple more warriors was waiting. Fishkit waited until he could no longer feel the vibrations of their pawsteps before moving from his shadowy hideout.

He turned and ran. Since he didn't know his way around ThunderClan territory, by the time dawn broke, Fishkit was barely a mile from the camp. If he had not been deaf, he would have heard Dappletail's wail of anguish and grief when she awoke to only two kits in her nest.


	2. Chapter 2

1Ahh, yes. Fishkit could remember now. He nodded to himself. That night had been one of his proudest. If he closed his eyes, the bone-white tom could see the shifting shades and feel the cool night breezes. He could relive the thrill of running from his tormentors, Tigerpaw and Darkkit. He could taste freedom.

_But the story does not end there,_ Fishkit reminded himself. _No, no, no. The story continues. I met my new family. Yes. That is the night I could live every night for the rest of my life. Yes..._

---F î " t z î ---

Fishkit ran. He ran and ran and ran. He looked up to see pink tails of dawnlight creeping across the milky blue skies. The sun was rising like a shining eye, climbing over the fences of Twoleg gardens. A warm breeze stirred his soft kit-fur. Fishkit purred. The feeling of the purr made him even happier. The white he-kit squirmed with pleasure.

Then he remembered that he was running away. An image of Tigerpaw and Darkkit's jeering faces flashed before his eyes. Fishkit growled. The sound felt like a purr, but it was different. Whereas a purr spoke of the security of the nursery, this growl spoke of open danger in battle. Rather than feeling like nature, it felt like a Twoleg's Treecutter monster, harsh and unnatural. The sensation startled Fishkit. _Did I make that sound? It's scary! _

Fishkit vowed he would never growl again. Never. It scared him too much. Hoping to calm his anxiety, he looked up at the sky another time. The pink tails were gone now, replaced by a gentle blue. Fishkit sighed. _It looks like Bluefur's pelt. So pretty... _He shook himself. Harsh reality pricked him like claws. He had left Bluefur to find his own life. He would probably never see her again.

The young kit started to run again. He ran until he came across four huge oak trees grouped around an even huger rock. _What is this place?_ he wondered. _I've never seen anything like it before._ He scrambled up the side of the rock and gazed down at the forest floor below him. _Ooh! I've never been this high up before! I feel like I can see the whole world from up here! Wow. This is really something. I wonder if Bluefur has ever been here and climbed up this rock._

Fishkit picked his way carefully down the side again and started off. He realized that an unusual sensation had crept into his belly. It was something he had never really felt before. Hunger. His mouth was dry. He was thirsty as well. The he-kit recalled he had seen water not too long ago. He decided to get a drink. Dashing back to the river, he saw another cat. It was sturdily built, with reddish-brown fur. The scent coming off of it was unfamiliar; Fishkit had never smelled it before.

He watched in fascination as the reddish tomcat sat motionless, then suddenly swiped his paw into the water. In a spray of droplets was a streak of shining silver. Fishkit had yet to see anything like it. The tom gripped the silver streak in his strong jaws and bit down into it. The thing stopped its flopping. _He's hunting? I've never seen a cat hunt like that before! I wonder if Bluefur has!_

Excited by what he had just seen, Fishkit waited until the tom was gone before he padded to the water's edge. He wanted to do that! How hard could it possibly be? You just wait and grab the first silver thing that comes by, right? It wasn't so complicated. He poised a paw above the water just like the strange-smelling he-cat had done. Something glittered in the corner of his eye. _It must be one of those silvery things!_ Fishkit unwittingly pounced at it, sending up a splash of cold, soaking water all around him.

Then the current kicked in. Fishkit had time for one last yowl of terror before he was swept under. He thrashed his paws and tail wildly, screaming and howling. Water rushed into his open mouth. The kit retched and spat. The water was ice-cold. Already his legs were going numb. Fishkit forced his way to the top and let out a piercing cry. Then he sunk back under the waves.

His final screech had attracted the attention of a rogue she-cat by the name of Candle. Candle had white fur with reddish-ginger and yellow splotches on her tail. Candle heard the wail of a kit in panic and raced to the water. Her mate, a WindClan outcast called Gorseclaw, hurried up alongside her. Candle spotted Fishkit's white fur in the river and dove in after him. Fishkit felt sharp teeth met in the scruff of his neck and blacked out. Candle dragged herself out of the water.

"Candle!" Gorseclaw shouted. "Are you mad?"

"There... was... th-this... k-kit in the wa-wa-water," Candle stammered, shivering with cold. "Look at him, G-Gorseclaw."

Gorseclaw sniffed the unconscious Fishkit's fur. "He's a ThunderClan kit," he growled. "You should have let him drown."

"He's a helpless kit!" spat Candle. "Look at him! I bet he's still drinking milk. What was he doing trying to swim so young?"

Gorseclaw was used to Candle's mood swings. He knew she could be fighting mad one instant, then calm and sweet the next. He sighed. "We'll call him Fishkit," he meowed. "Since he was trying to swim at such a young age."

"Why not just Fish?" Candle asked. "After all, he's not a Clan cat anymore."

"Fish_kit_," Gorseclaw repeated, a little more sternly this time. "I will not be the only cat with a Clan name here."

Candle nodded as she bent to her mate's wish. She picked up Fishkit gently and carried him over to her sleeping spot. There, she lay the little kit down close to her warm body and started licking his soaking wet fur. "Fishkit," she murmured. "You're my kit now. It's a good thing my litter weaned just yesterday. I have plenty of milk for you, little one."

Fishkit woke up a few hours later. Candle looked down at him, a warmth in her golden eyes. "Hello, Fishkit," she meowed.

Fishkit saw her mouth move. It was a familiar motion. Bluefur used it when she greeted other cats. He quickly made the appropriate reply, a twitch of the ears and a wave of the tail. "Hello," he signed. Then, since he didn't know this new cat's name, he signed his name for Dappletail: patting his paws down his tiny tail. "Mother."

Candle was taken aback. Was she supposed to know this scrap of fur's secret language? She bent closer, moving her mouth slowly to form the word "hello." Fishkit responded with the same ear-flick and tail-wave, only slower. _She wants to treat me like I'm stupid, I'll do the same to her!_

"Gorseclaw!" Candle called. "Come and look at little Fishkit! He's making these funny motions."

Gorseclaw padded in. Fishkit sniffed him curiously. Here was a cat that carried the same scent as the hill by the four-trees-and-big-rock place. His fur was unusual: splattered with browns and gingers of all shades. His eyes were bright green. Fishkit made the hello sign to him. Gorseclaw opened his mouth and barked like a dog. Candle's hackles rose briefly. "I wish you wouldn't do that," she muttered. "You'll scare Fishkit."

"Look at him, Candle," Gorseclaw murmured. "Does he look scared? Watch. I'll do it again." Gorseclaw made the barking sound once more. Fishkit continued to gaze up at him. That mouth-movement didn't look like any word _he_ knew. Gorseclaw continued. "He's not fluffing up because he didn't hear me. Candle, I'm fairly sure Fishkit is deaf."

"D-deaf?" Candle repeated in a squeaky mew.

"Yes, deaf. Remember how he made those signs to you and me? Some cat's tried to teach him to communicate through sign language." Gorseclaw nodded, as if approving the mystery cat's attempts. "Let me try something."

Gorseclaw made the ear-twitch and tail wave motion while gazing calmly at Fishkit. Fishkit looked startled, then pleased. He tapped his flank with his tail, then ran the tip of it around his eyes. Bluefur had chosen this sign to mean "Fishkit" because of his blue eyes.

"What was that?" Candle asked.

"I believe that was his name." Gorseclaw thought for a moment about how to sign his own name, then nodded. He tapped his flank with his tail, then used it to point to a branch, then an extended claw.

"Oh! I get it!" Candle mewed. "You said 'I'm Gorse-claw', didn't you?"

"I think that's what I told him, yes."

Fishkit thought about what the splatter-furred cat had just said. _Treeclaw? Bushclaw? Branchclaw? Stickclaw? Twigclaw? Leafclaw? Whatever his name is, it ends in 'claw.'_

One of Candle's litter, a young tom named Rust, approached his new brother. "Hey! He talks with his tail!" he mewed. "Can I try and talk to him, Father? Can I?"

"Sure, Rust," Gorseclaw meowed. "Maybe you can get the gist of this better than I can."

Rust approached Fishkit uncertainly. "How'd he sign his name?" Gorseclaw imitated the gesture for "Fishkit." Rust nodded.

"Hello, Fishkit," he signed. Fishkit nodded to say he had understood the other he-kit thus far. "I'm..." Rust hesitated.

Fishkit had been admiring the streaks of color in Rust's fur. He invented a sign for Rust's name. He streaked his tail down his own flank to imitate a very bold stripe of ginger fur. Rust gave a startled mew.

"Did you see that? He said my name!" Rust was overjoyed. "He said my name! Oh! Yeah!" He turned back to Fishkit. "I'm Rust," he signed.

Fishkit purred and rubbed his head against Rust's. Rust returned the purr. Gorseclaw and Candle locked gazes above the kits' heads. Determination glittered in both looks. They made a silent vow that every cat in the group of rogues would soon be able to communicate with Fishkit.

---F î " t z î ---

"Fishkit! Fishkit!" Rust signed frantically. "Fishkit! Come! Here!"

Fishkit, sensing his brother's anxiety, raced away from the mouse he had been about to devour. Rust's eyes were wide and his fur was bristling. "Rust," Fishkit signed.

"Fishkit! It's Candle and Gorseclaw! They're––" Rust trailed off as he realized he was speaking aloud. "It's Branch-claw and Pattern-tail," he motioned, using the choppy versions of the two rogues' names. "They're not well."

"How?" Fishkit asked, drawing confused lines with his paws. He was a little over eight moons now. Rust was a moon older.

"Can't explain." Rust was too worried to think of the proper motions to say 'hit by a monster.' "Fear! Come!"

Fishkit darted up behind Rust. He knew both their parents were out on an expedition to get food from the Twoleg dump across the Thunderpath. He followed the tabby tom towards the stinking road. The sickening stench of blood filled the air around Fishkit. He shivered. The other two rogues who had gone out with the mates moved aside to let Fishkit sign his last words to his parents.

"Fishkit," Gorseclaw began faintly. His back parts had been crushed by the monster. Candle lay dead beside him. "Fish... kit. I cannot tell you of your past. You were not born a rogue, like you must have thought... Rust will tell you... Goodbye, my son..."

Gorseclaw's green eyes glazed over and shut. Fishkit was paralyzed. He knew he had been born outside of the rogue clan, but that was not what shocked him.

Gorseclaw and Candle, the two cats he had accepted as his parents, were dead.


	3. Chapter 3

1A great sadness welled up within Fishkit. How he wanted the story to end here. _I never want to relive that again. Never. Candle... Gorseclaw... I thought by taking out my anger on the kittypets, I could get back at the Twolegs who killed you. But I was wrong._

---F î " t z î ---

Fishkit knew that Twolegs sometimes held cats prisoner in their nests. Theses cats were soft and lazy, a disgrace to the cat name. He also knew that the Twolegs who kept the kittypets were very attached to them. _The Twolegs killed my parents,_ Fishkit thought bitterly. _I need to get back at them. And I know just the way I'm going to do it, too._

He outlined his plan to Rust, who nodded, eyes glimmering approvingly. Over the next couple of moons, Fishkit and Rust hunted down kittypets, fought them, and killed them. Then Rust would drag the body to the doorstep and yowl in the same way the kittypet had before it had died. When Fishkit felt the Twoleg thunder come to open the door to its nest, he would warn Rust and the two would vanish into the forest, relishing the Twolegs' howls of grief as they ran.

It worked for quite some time, too. Rust saw a Twoleg hanging up fliers offering a reward for anyone who brought it the one who had killed its kittypet. The two brothers celebrated the downfall of another Twoleg slave.

"Fishkit," Rust signed one evening. "I've been thinking lately. It's the Twolegs who killed our parents, not their kittypets."

"What do you mean, Rust?" Fishkit asked.

"I mean... I don't think killing the kittypets is the right way to avenge Mother and Father. We should be attacking the heart of the problem, and not bothering a mousetail about the other parts."

Fishkit was struck by this suggestion. He hadn't thought about it like that before. He sighed, the only sound he would utter most of the time. "I need to think alone," he motioned. Rust nodded and stepped back.

_Killing the kittypets is wrong, I know, but it's the only thing that lessens the hurt,_ Fishkit thought, _I can't live peacefully. I'm a rogue. What can I do?_

---F î " t z î ---

The white tom stood up. He yowled into the darkness by the Thunderpath. Rust appeared. "Rust," Fishkit signed. "Let's go back." Rust nodded and the two toms slipped towards the rogue camp.

Fishkit was grooming behind Rust's ears when he felt an unfamiliar vibration in the ground. He knew the pawsteps of all the cats in his rogue Clan, but this was strange. He looked up. A scrawny dark brown tomcat with long fur strode into the camp. Coming up behind him was a pure white cat with black paws. The brown tom approached Fishkit. "I wish to speak to your leader."

Fishkit looked mutely on as the tom repeated his request again and again. Finally, the mangy cat gave up and turned to Rust. "What's wrong with this one?" he asked.

"He's deaf," Rust replied. "Who are you?"

"I am Brokenstar, leader of ShadowClan," the stranger meowed. "This is my deputy, Blackfoot. We're looking for the leader of this rogue Clan."

"My father was leader," Rust mewed, getting to his paws. "My name is Rust. This is my brother, Fishkit. Why do you need rogues, Brokenstar?"

Brokenstar curled his kinked tail around his paws as he sat down. "I have enemies in the forest. They do not see the good ShadowClan can bring about." His eyes glowed with cold fury. "Rust, I ask you to assemble your rogues and join me in attacking our main foe: ThunderClan!"

Rust was startled. He signed this all to Fishkit, who nodded grimly. _Maybe Tigerpaw will be there. And Darkkit. Ohh, I'll get my paws on them! I'll make them sorry them forced me out of ThunderClan._ _They'll be the one running this time!_

Fishkit let out a deep purr. "Tell him we will fight," he motioned to Rust. Rust relayed this message to Brokenstar.

"We will fight beside ShadowClan," he meowed. Brokenstar nodded and got up.

"Follow me, bring your warriors. My deputy will brief you as we go along. If you have any questions, ask him."

Rust quickly assembled the rogue Clan's fighting force. He and Fishkit padded up behind Blackfoot, who dipped his head in greeting. "A ThunderClan spy told us that their leader is out on a journey to Highstones," he meowed, "We will attack while they are undefended."

The party of rogue cats followed Brokenstar to a forest glade, where even more ShadowClan warriors were waiting. Fishkit had never seen such big cats before in his life. He felt like an acorn at the foot of a mighty oak tree as he stood beside a large, scarred, brown tomcat.

"This is Clawface," Blackfoot meowed to Fishkit. Fishkit ignored him. He didn't hear a word the deputy had said.

_ThunderClan's leader is out? Fallenstar is gone. Good. That old piece of crowfood never thought I could understand a word any cat said. She tried to stop Bluefur from talking to me. Well, if she shows her muzzle, I know exactly what I'm going to do to her! _Fishkit aimed a blow at a sapling. He felled the little tree without even trying. Clawface looked impressed.

Brokenstar motioned with his crooked tail for the warriors behind him to stay down. Fishkit and Rust crept ahead to crouch beside ShadowClan's leader. Fishkit's eyes widened as he took in all the long-forgotten sights of the ThunderClan camp. Here was the apprentices' den. Fishkit remembered seeing Tigerpaw and another apprentice called Runningpaw scuffle playfully. Over there, the Highrock, where Fallenstar had announced the Clan's news. How he had felt proud to see Bluefur sit beside the rock!

At Brokenstar's signal, the rogues and Clan cats gave a battle yowl and lunged into the camp. The ThunderClan cats were totally unprepared. Fishkit found a cat who looked like an older version of Darkkit, with his silver and black fur and pale eyes. He sunk his fangs deep into the cat's shoulder and was rewarded with a vibrating howl of pain. He felt the thunder of more paws and turned. More ThunderClan cats had come, probably to rescue their Clanmates. Fishkit whirled around and launched himself at a skinny black apprentice.

The black tom writhed around under Fishkit's weight. Fishkit scratched at the apprentice's shoulders viciously. He felt the black cat's cry of pain and released him. Then he spotted another cat he'd like to get his paws on. There was no mistaking that tabby pelt or those amber eyes.

Tigerpaw.

Fishkit flew at Tigerpaw. Tigerpaw heaved upwards and snapped, "Not me, stupid! Get the others!" Fishkit didn't hear the angry snarl, but he could see Rust trapped beneath the paws of a furious she-cat. Fishkit ran to his adopted brother's rescue. Rust escaped just as Fishkit landed on the queen's back. The blue-gray she-cat turned around and pinned Fishkit down with a swift smack of her paws. Fishkit opened his mouth in a soundless yowl of fear. Then the scent rolled over his fur in waves.

Fishkit was paralyzed with realization. He opened his blue eyes wide. The ice-eyed queen opened her mouth to take a bite at Fishkit's unprotected throat when she too stopped, drawing in his scent. The two cats gazed at each other, the din of battle fading away slowly. Fishkit lifted a trembling paw and traced it down his muzzle. _Bluefur..._

It was Bluefur. The bluish she-cat gave Fishkit a tender lick. "Fishkit," she murmured even though she knew he couldn't hear her. "We though a fox had gotten you. Why did you run away? Why?"

Tigerpaw yowled loudly and raced in to Bluefur's side. With a quick swipe of his paws, he knocked Fishkit away from Bluefur and sunk his fangs into the younger cat's throat. "Tigerclaw! NO!" Bluefur yowled. Fishkit thrashed around for a few brief minutes, then slowly stopped. His tail gave a few final jerks and he fell still.

Fishkit was dead.

"Bluestar, I don't know what you thought you were doing, letting a rogue cat get that close to—" Tigerclaw began angrily.

Bluestar cut him off. "Tigerclaw, you mousebrained fool! Do you know who you just killed?"

"A dangerous, kit-killing rogue."

"Fishkit."

Tigerclaw froze in his tracks. He looked down at the white-furred body under his paws. He sniffed the dead cat. Amber eyes flew wide with fear. "We though he'd died moons ago..." he rasped. "No one expected him to be alive..."

Bluestar's blue eyes were icy and unforgiving. "Dappletail gave up hope of finding Fishkit so long ago. How are you going to tell her you just killed her kit?"

Tigerclaw glanced nervously down at Fishkit's body again. "Bluestar, you must understand I thought this was a rogue cat. I thought you were in danger and felt it was my duty to rescue you."

---F î " t z î ---

Fishkit opened his eyes slowly. He looked up. Lionkit? Was it Lionkit standing before him? It was! And Redkit was there too!

"Brothers!" Fishkit cried, then froze. Lionkit and Redkit smiled.

"Your ears and tongue are free now, Fishkit," Redkit meowed. "For you have joined us in StarClan."

"Star...You mean...We're dead?" Fishkit mewed. Lionkit nodded.

"All dead of Tigerclaw's treachery," he meowed gravely. "Or, as you would remember him, Tigerpaw."

"I am called Redtail now. This is Lionheart." Redkit pointed to himself and Fishkit's other brother. "Come, Fishkit, join us in StarClan forever."

Fishkit hesitated. "I... I can't. I never knew what it was like to be a ThunderClan warrior like you did." Redtail and Lionheart listened silently as Fishkit went on. "I never got my warrior name. I was never even an apprentice! I can't join you in StarClan. I wish to be the warrior my deafness prevented me from being."

Redtail looked over at Lionheart. "There is a way," he mewed. "Fishkit, you can be reborn into another kit of ThunderClan. If that is what you truly wish to do..."

"Redtail, I want it more than anything. My spirit could never rest with you as a warrior if I have never been a warrior. Do you understand what I mean?"

Redtail nodded. "You may have to wait a while though, Fishkit. Brindleface's litter will only end your life early. There is another kit though. A kit who will face discrimination and doubt. A kit who will have trouble knowing what is right. If you wish, you may be this kit."

"I wish it more than anything."

"Then by the powers of StarClan, I hereby name you Cloudkit. You will face hardships and troubled times, but in the end, you will triumph. Now, sleep within your mother's belly until the appointed time."

Fishkit watched his brothers vanish. "Thank you, Redtail," he whispered. "Thank you, Lionheart. I will live my new life to its fullest. Thank you."

Then, everything became dark and warm. There was the faint sound of a queen's body as its many hidden parts worked patiently. Fishkit curled up in his little spot and slept, just as Redtail had told him to. He didn't know when he would be born again, or even if he would remember his old life, but Fishkit knew he had made the right choice.


End file.
